Heal
by Banana Rum
Summary: The aftermath and the pain of living in the hell you created is often worse than the event that caused it. Miroku isn't a fool he's experienced this before. Inuyasha, however, is still trying to figure it all out.


Heal

_It does things to you._

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Rated K+ for language and implied gore/death

By Kalliel

August 21, 2005

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Now _that_ was an interesting sight, Miroku thought, slowing his jovial tromp through the village. Well, at least unusual, he quickly corrected himself. Compared to the divinely scrawling banners that detailed the now-bustling marketplace, Inuyasha sitting alone should have been nothing.

But, indeed, something was amiss, he decided. Though after all that happened, he supposed it was only natural. Wasn't he, Miroku, the only one who cried freely and without even attempt at restraint or knowledge of shame back then? Somehow, he didn't think seeing Sango like that would affect him so. Perhaps he was blinder to himself than he thought.

Dismissing his thoughts from such pseudo-reveries, he finally mustered up the courage to approach his sulking companion. _Companion_.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" It was an idiotic statement at best. The likelihood of Inuyasha taking lightly to his sudden idle chatter and interruption of what were undoubtedly intelligent muses—or not—were slim. The chances of getting the desired response were slimmer still. So what could Miroku do but smile through it can retain his sunny façade? "Don't tell me you're looking for a village woman _now._ That's too low for even you."

Inuyasha whirled around. "Are you fucking playing with me still? Leave me alone, damn it. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Miroku heeded the tetchy glint of citrine in Inuyasha's eyes and stepped back. Into safer territory. However, he continued, nonplussed. "Sitting on a half-rotted pole that will probably split apart, brooding about things better left to those who possess at least half a brain, and staring off into the distance remembering a certain someone."

Inuyasha stared at him wide-eyed, momentarily stunned. Miroku could only greet him with a conniving grin. How many times had he seen that same expression in the past?

Finally, Inuyasha spoke. "I liked the happy smile better. This new face…" His sentence faded off, and changed its course completely as he turned back to the color-traced streets of the village below. "Just go away."

Miroku sighed. The extracting-information-from-irritable-halfling skit still hadn't proved any less time-consuming. He began to kick at the pole Inuyasha had precariously seated himself upon.

Inuyasha spun around once more, face meeting the folds of aubergine cloth with a muted slap. Wrenching his head away from Miroku's suddenly all-too-close form, he dipped down and down and…

He ended up on the ground, a now broken, weathered fencepost under his sprawled body. He let out a surprised yelp of pain, gritting his teeth as he failingly tried to bounce back onto his feet. Instead, he only managed an obscure position halfway between a crouch and just lying flat.

Miroku bit back the urge to say 'I told you so' and reached out his right hand to help Inuyasha back up onto his feet. "I was rather impressed you made it out here so soon. Part youkai or no, it was a trying battle for all of us. Especially for you—I was surprised you went that far."

Inuyasha glanced at the outstretched hand before looking back down at the ground. It was absence of the characteristic guards and beads that held the monk's wind void in check. When there was one. "So it really did happen, then."

Miroku nodded slowly. "It did."

"I couldn't figure out whether or not those things actually happened."

Inuyasha scowled in obvious frustration. "The wounds and their scars are gone already, and there's nothing really that screams 'it's done' anywhere. I always thought the atmosphere would change or that some things would be revealed or _something_."

"You were there. You saw it with your own eyes. As did I." Miroku turned to take his leave, with a more melancholy attitude than before. But he didn't regret stopping to hear that. Perhaps that was because it was exactly what he was thinking as well—it was his, no, _our_ ultimate goal, he realized. What was he going to do now?

"How is Sango going to know?"

Miroku stopped dead in his tracks. "…What?"

"How is _she_ going to know that Naraku is dead?"

And the monk just walked away.

-_fin_

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Oh, it's been so long… I'm out of practice. Not to mention that this is the first time I've written Miroku-Inuyasha interaction. Apologies if they're out of character.

First off, yes, it is implied until the very end that the Inuyasha-ikkou finally 'killed Naraku' (which, frankly, is something I never really think will happen) and that Sango lost her life. I'm not completely sure where Kagome is, but I know she isn't dead. Possibly she had to return to her own time? Or maybe she's just with Kaede down in the bustling market. (Which is preparing for a harvest festival, by the way, though I couldn't find a way to mention that in the text in a fluid manner…)


End file.
